The Silver Snake~
by Happy Llama Mizuki
Summary: Morgan Destiny Star has returned to Hogwarts. She wants desperately to leave her terrible past behind her, but to no avail. Trying to patch things up with ex, she must fight the influence and power of remaining fellow Death Eaters. After Harry's 7th year.
1. Part One

The Silver Snake  
By Belldandy  
  
Part One  
  
The last day of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts  
  
Albus Dumbledore twiddled his thumbs pleasantly, watching Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they walked out of school with the rest of the students. His eyes sparkled, and he heard soft footsteps from behind him. Without turning, he said, "Hello, Morgan. It's been a while."  
  
"Hello, Albus." A woman, who looked about thirty with long chestnut brown hair and pine green eyes, looked out at him from behind small, oval-shaped glasses. She had a harassed look on her face, and spoke in annoyance. "You didn't hire Severus Snape as a teacher... did you?"  
  
With a smile, Dumbledore turned to her. "Why should I not have? If I am correct, you yourself have come to ask for a job, have you not?" His blue eyes twinkled from behind his half-moon spectacles in a mysterious way.  
  
"Albus, you have not changed a bit." She told him, frowning slightly. "Always trusting. Too trusting. I have heard other stories about your staff, as well. I must tell you how I disapprove," She said.  
  
"As do many, Morgan," He replied shortly. His silvery mustache curled up mysteriously in a smile.  
  
She looked at him sulkily and changed the subject. "So, about that job, Albus..."  
  
"Morgan Star," Hissed a cold voice. Dumbledore and his companion looked to see Severus Snape standing before them, a look of loathing on his face.  
  
Star snorted. "That's 'Star' to you, Snape. Nothing else," She said, her eyes radiating as much hatred as Snape's. "Still Gothic, I see. If you didn't look so old, one might mistake you for a punk, Snape."  
  
His lip curled, and a muscle in his forehead twitched involuntarily. In one fluid motion, he had strode to her and grabbed her wrist, yanking the sleeve of her robes up to her shoulder. "The Dark Mark!" He said in a venomous whisper. He then glared at her, voicing his dislike. "Still alive, I see," He said, mimicking her. "If you didn't look so evil, one might mistake you for a normal person with a completely rash explanation for this." His eyes glittered maliciously. "But I'm sure you're about to tell me it's a tattoo?"  
  
She pulled her arm away. "You have it, too, Snape." She snarled.  
  
"Ah, but I've been cleared by justice, Star." He replied. A smile of smug triumph leered at her from beneath his black hair, his dark eyes glittering.  
  
"As have I." Star replied.  
  
"A Death Eater at the age of thirteen, Star. That isn't a joke. No one is laughing anymore," Snape said icily. "Not even the Dark Lord."  
  
"Severus," Dumbledore said warningly, no longer smiling. "I hope you won't treat Professor Star like this all next year."  
  
Star looked estatic. "I got a job? Really?"  
  
"There are no openings!" Snape hissed. But he knew that the deal was done and somehow Star would be a teacher anyway... and it infuriated him.  
  
"I'm sure we can work it out," Said Dumbledore, his tone almost amused. "Can you think of a class that Hogwarts does not teach, Severus? Perhaps we should broaden our horizons." He smiled good-naturedly, peered at them from behind his glasses happily.  
  
"I'm sure I know just what Star would suggest," Snape said angrily. "A class all about performing the Dark Arts!"  
  
"Sorry, Snape," Star retorted, leering at him with a sardonic half-smile. "I wouldn't want to take over in your area of expertise." She glared at him, her eyes darkening ominously.  
  
"Now, now, Morgan. That was uncalled for," Dumbledore intervened. "As was Severus's comment."  
  
Snape's lip curled again and he pointed, enraged, at Star's arm where the mark was hidden beneath her robes. "That is what she is, Headmaster! Do you really trust her?"  
  
"It is what I was! What I used to be!" Star cried.  
  
"Of course I trust Morgan," Dumbledore said, silencing them. "I trust her just as I trust you, Severus. She, too, has proved herself, which is the most probable reason that she is not locked up in Azkaban at this very moment. Do you understand?" He asked, taking no notice of Star's shiver.  
  
Snape's eyes flashed, looking dangerously between her and Dumbledore. He finally sneered mockingly at Dumbledore, and spoke. "Very well, Headmaster. Do as you wish. But, I will tell you now, putting the students in her care will be nothing but dangerous, although I know that I can change your mind only as much as I can keep the world from turning." With another glare at Star, he swept away.  
  
"Actually, it only requires a simple spell to do that," Star muttered.  
  
Dumbledore gazed after Snape, not turning his eyes on Star. "Simple, yet illegal." He said lightly. "I think that we should discuss your hiring in my office," He said, turning away.  
  
"Yes, sir." Star clutched a small necklace around her neck, following Dumbledore down the hall.  
  
"I find it peculiar," Said Dumbledore, smiling absentmindedly at the necklace, "How you and Professor Snape treat each other, considering your past... and your similarities."  
  
Star did not look him in the eye. "I would like to pretend that my past didn't happen," She replied curtly. "And as for Severus, we are too different for our own good."  
  
"Very unwise, in my belief," Dumbledore said softly after awhile. "To disregard your past, no matter how terrible, can only bring pain."  
  
Star did not reply. She merely clutched the necklace more, picturing it in her mind's eye. She could see a small silver snake, its body encircled around a tiny emerald orb... 


	2. Part Two

The Silver Snake  
By Belldandy  
  
Part Two  
  
The beginning of Star's second year teaching  
  
"Peeves!" Star cried exasperatedly. She caught the golden plate he threw across the room, while the House Elves looked on in horror. She ran back and forth to try and catch the plates that the naughty ghost tossed. "Peeves! Do I have to fetch the Bloody Baron?"  
  
Peeves blew a raspberry at her and flew off, cackling madly.  
  
Star sighed, setting the plates down. The elves hurried forward, trying to take the plates back to the cabinet. One elf with a particularly long nose and a tea cozy for a hat stayed at her side. "Dobby believes it is nearly time for the students to arrive, Miss." He said squeakily.  
  
"Of course." Star replied. "Thank you, Dobby." She rubbed her hands together nervously. "You're sure that Harry Potter is done with school?"  
  
"Dobby is positive, Miss. Dobby does the math and he is done at Hogwarts, Miss." The elf told her.  
  
Star rummaged through her pockets, and said, "Thanks a lot, Dobby. You've helped to give me one great year here already. Quite hectic, actually, but... Thank you for making it better. Hopefully you can be just as helpful this year." She pulled an orange sock and a yellow-striped one. "These are for you."  
  
Dobby's eyes lit up. "Socks! Socks is being my favorite clothes, Miss! You are too kind to Dobby!" He pulled off his own socks and put on the new ones.  
  
"I'll have to be going, Dobby. If Peeves is troubling you again, just call for me." She smiled down at him as the door to the kitchen opened.  
  
"The students are arriving, Star." Snape stoof there, wearing his usual black robes and sour expression. "Hurry up."  
  
"Just a moment, Severus." She said absentmindedly.  
  
"Since when are we on first name terms, Star?" Snape's lip curled, and he glared at her.  
  
"Fine then. Snape it is," She replied crossly. She turned back to Dobby. "See you later, Dobby." She turned and followed Snape out of the door.  
  
He stopped after the painting closed behind them. "Why, Star?"  
"Why what?" She asked.  
  
"The necklace, Star." She looked down and realized the little snake-orb was hanging outside her robes in plain view. She hastily made to stuff it back in, but cried out as Snape grabbed it and ripped it off her neck. "Severus!"  
  
He held it up in front of her. "Have you really been wearing it all this time, Star? How touching." He narrowed his eyes furiously. "Are you trying to mock me?!" He spat.  
  
"I'm not! It's just a necklace, Severus!" Star cried. "Give it back!"  
He pursed his lips, and threw it at her feet. He turned away and walked off to the Great Hall.  
Star kneeled down, picking up the necklace, and looking into the orb, sighing.  
  
~~  
  
"I am you Magical Sports teacher. I will show you how to play many different Wizarding sports, including Quidditch. Call me Professor Star," Star was telling a first year class.  
  
Suddenly, a scream erupted from the castle, followed by silence.  
"Stay here, class..." Star told them.  
  
As she ran towards the steps, followed by murmurs and voices, she thought to herself, "That sounded too much like Minerva McGonagall for comfort."  
  
She clutched her necklace tightly. 


	3. Part Three

The Silver Snake  
By Belldandy  
  
Part Three  
  
Star burst into the staffroom, wand at ready. Snape, Dumbledore, and McGongall were there, and McGonagall looked very upset. "What is it? What's going on?" Star asked breahtlessly.  
  
Dumbledore looked solemnly at her. "Minerva has recieved some bad news, Morgan."  
Star saw Snape looking at her necklace and put it in her robes. "What sort of news?"  
  
Snape, still looking at her neck, said, "Her cousin has gone missing and no one has any idea where he is."  
  
"Minerva, I'm sorry..." Star said. "That's terrible. But I'm sure you'll find him. He's got to turn up eventually, I'm sure of it. Don't worry too much."  
  
"Yes, he'll show up, but dead or alive no one knows." Snape said with a wicked smile.  
  
"Severus!" Star cried. McGonagall gave a sort of strangled cry and Dumbledore patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure everything will be all right, Minerva." He said comfortingly.  
  
~~  
  
Star settled herself down next to a lake, back against a large oak tree. The wind rushed through her hair and rippled the surface of the lake. She looked out at it with a small sigh, watching the reflections of trees waving their branches against the water. She took a deep breath of fresh air, closing her eyes. It felt good to get away from the classes, since no one would listen to her anyway. They were all too busy talking about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.  
  
"Hello, Morgan." Dumbledore sat down next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him, but said nothing. They sat in silence for a little while.  
  
"Albus..." Star began. "What do you do when you feel something, but don't know how to communicate it?"  
  
Dumbledore gave a small chuckle. "This remind me of the old days, Morgan." He looked at her, his eyes twinkling cheerfully. His half moon spectacles reflected Morgan's face and the trees behind her.  
  
Star nodded. "Yes, it does. But what about my question?"  
  
He smiled a bit. "Always so curious and straight to the point. You've been like this for a long time, Morgan. I don't understand why I ever expected..." -- his eyes twinkled meaningfully with the next words -- "... any change."  
  
"But, Albus..." She gazed at him. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're trying to say. Why can't you just answer my question?" She had the fleeting impression that he didn't want to answer, but she knew that the answer was hidden in what he had said.  
  
"Think about it, Morgan." He smiled mysteriously again. "Anything else?"  
She thought for a moment, looking at her hands.  
  
~~  
  
"Professor... I did something that wasn't very nice." Morgan said quietly. She was sixteen, standing in front of Dumbledore's desk.  
  
"I know, Miss Star. You tell me every day. What is it this time, dear?" He stood up, and walked around the side of his desk to stand next to her. "Tell me all about it."  
  
"It's different." She said. "I know... that when I was a Death Eater, I did many cruel things. But I'm not here to tell you about that today. I did this recently." She admitted.  
  
Dumbledore looked at her curiously. "Really, now? Go on."  
  
Morgan's voice quivered. "Well... You see, ever since I met Severus Snape while being a supporter of Voldemort, we've had a ... certain romantic involvement." She looked a bit embarassed, and rubbed her arm apologetically.  
  
"I've heard rumors," Dumbledore said. "It seems that people think that so many years of difference in age is too much at a time like this in your lives."  
  
"We never cared about age." Morgan said almost automatically. She looked away and corrected herself. "Severus... never cared about age. I ... left him, Professor. People were talking about it, and I couldn't stand it, and --"  
  
"I am curious to know... it seems to me that even if you stopped being involved with each other, that the rumors and things people say won't change..." Dumbledore told her. "But perhaps what you did was wise. Perhaps people were right. Did that ever occur to you, Morgan? Sometimes, when people are young... things change as they grow older. It might have been harder later because of your age."  
  
"It wouldn't have changed," Morgan insisted. "I'll still feel the same, the attraction, the guilt --"  
"Guilt?" Dumbledore asked. "Why would you be guilty?"  
"Well, because it's against the rules for students and teachers to be involved that way."  
  
"But you aren't a student, Morgan. You are young enough to be, but you are not." Dumbledore said softly. "Students do not work in the kitchens with elves or clean the castle. You are different from a student."  
  
"I know... but... he is too old for me." Morgan said quietly.  
"That will change... but your feelings may not."  
  
~~  
  
"Yes, Albus. There is something else." Star said quietly. She looked at him. "My feelings; they never changed." She turned back to look at the lake, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Dumbledore smile kindly, his eyes twinkling again. He twiddled his thumbs pleasantly, and didn't reply. Star looked down at the little necklace hanging out of her robes again. 


	4. Part Four

The Silver Snake  
By Belldandy  
  
A/N: I really like this story so far. I don't usually write Snape romances (unless it's between him and McGonagall); I leave that to my friend Jess. I wasn't exactly going to do that at first, but it seemed to fall into place that way. Oh.. and by the way, I'm kind of running out of ideas here. I know how it's gonna end, but I might need some help in between.. This is something I'm going to force myself to finish -- and I'd like it to come out all right. I know, I know -- "She's gonna FINISH it?!" n_n;; I really want to, though! I can never seem to finish stuff, ya know? Well, if you've got any suggestions for the story, you could always REVIEW... ::looks at everyone hopefully::  
  
Part Four  
  
Hogwarts; the Yule Ball  
  
Star sat at a table, looking out at the happily dancing champions. With a wide grin, she wondered how it was that Colin Creevey ever got to be Hogwarts champion. Indeed, he seeemed to wonder, too; he still had a slightly unbelieving expression on his face as he and Ginny Weasley danced across the floor. Star looked over at Snape who was on the other end of the table, a sour look on his face. He glared around at the happily dancing students, and got up to go seperate two students who were dancing inappropriately close. She got up, and walked after him.  
  
As Snape turned around, he found her standing there, her hair in an elegant ponytail that was pulled back by a white carnation and sporting pretty, white dress robes. "Severus, dance with me." She said.  
  
"Why don't you ask nicely?" He asked, his mouth twitching.  
  
She sighed. "Because you'd just say no." She gave him a knowing smile, which he did not return. "Oh, come on -- lighten up! Why can't you just have some fun?"  
  
"I don't dance," He said.  
  
She sighed again. "You're going to dance with me!" She took his arm and pulled him onto the middle of the floor. She had a fleeting suspicion that the only reason he wasn't struggling very much was because Dumbledore was watching. She grabbed his hand, placed it on her waist (a muscle in his forehead started to twitch), and seized the other hand. She reached up to place her remaining hand on his shoulder, and started dancing. After noticing that he looked even unhappier and that he wouldn't look her in the eye, she spoke. "You do dance." He looked at her, but didn't reply. "You dance very well."  
  
Kids were gawking at them, pointing and whispering excitedly. Star was sure that they had never seen Snape dance, nor had they seen anyone make Snape dance with them. She had to admit... she had never seen either of those things happen, either.  
  
"Why are you doing this, Star?" He asked coldly.  
  
She gave him a pained look. "Severus, I don't want us to be so... angry. We've held this grudge forever. I know what I did was stupid and I'm sorry."  
  
"How can I be sure?" He asked. "How do I know you're not lying?" He stared hard at her, as if trying to figure her out like some complicated math problem.  
  
"You can't," She said. "You just have to trust me."  
  
"Trust you? And why should I trust you?" His eyes grew colder, and he released her, stepping away. "You... you were the last thing I had, Morgan. The very last reason to keep living, and you just turned on me. You walked away like my... feelings ... for you didn't matter at all. Why should I trust you again? So you can take my heart in your hands, and crush it all over again? I think not, Morgan." He glared at her, as if keeping something from her.  
  
But he was telling her a lot more than he seemed. It was like a miracle; he had admitted that he once loved her and that he didn't want to be hurt again. She looked down. "I'm sorry, Severus. I guess asking you to just trust me and forgive me is a little too much to ask, even when I was only a child when that happened. It's been sixteen years since then, but you can't even forgive what my childish heart did. I've changed, Severus. I've grown up," She said, looking back up at him.  
  
He didn't look like he believed her. "You haven't. You are still as childish, foolish, and selfish as you were then. You haven't!" He glared at her again, but stood his ground, as she knew she couldn't much longer do.  
  
"Fine." Star felt wet tears behind her eyes, threatening to let go and cascade down her cheeks. She blinked them back, and said, "Then I guess I should just... go." She turned and left, leaving people (including Snape) staring and muttering after her.  
  
She walked into a corridor, and leaned back against the wall, letting herself cry silently. Snape's words rang in her ears -- "You haven't!" -- as she wiped away the water sliding down her face. "It's all my fault," She choked quietly. A fresh huddle of tears began to pour.  
  
"Tears ruin your lovely face, dear!" Said a voice. She looked up. A plump woman with gray hair and a big green dress smiled warmly from a picture frame from across the corridor. "Now come tell Tessie why you're crying, won't you?"  
  
Star shook her head. "N-no. I'd rather not," She murmured, wiping her eyes quickly. She got up quickly and walked down the hall to her office, hearing the painting mutter, "I try to be nice, and this is what I get..." Star fumbled with her necklace for a moment, and then held it up after stopping around the corner, gazing into the swirling depths of the orb. 


End file.
